Death , Martyrdom
Sleep is Temporary Death
Surah Al - An’am, 6:60
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِالنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَى أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Saying at the time of Death
Surah Al – Baqarah, 2:156
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
This clause used by a Muslim when he hears any loss, should be the motto of the life of every Muslim. It is the brief expression of all that Islam means. We are His, being His, our duty should be nothing short of absolute submission to His Will. We are returning to Him, which implies that we have proceeded from Him and that we are in our march towards Him and He is the destination.
Rewards of those who are Martyrs in Allah’s (swt) way
Surah Ali-’Imran, 3:169-172
وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاء عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ
فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُواْ بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلاَّ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَفَضْلٍ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُواْ لِلّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَواْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
Status of Martyrs
Surah Al – Baqarah, 2:154
وَلاَ تَقُولُواْ لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبيلِ اللّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاء وَلَكِن لاَّ تَشْعُرُونَ
This verse encourages martyrdom in the way of Allah (swt) and praises it laudably, saying that it is not death, rather it is life - and what a life indeed! Death in the way of Allah (swt) is a distinction which is desirable - not a thing to dislike or fear. By saying that the martyrs are alive, actually means that they have not become extinct or have perished. In commonly language death is the opposite of life and with death one becomes extinct. In this context, the martyrs are alive.
The aim is to cheer the believers by reminding them of this reality, in order that they should not grieve, should not be perturbed, should not loose their hearts when death faces them or their dear ones in the way of Allah (swt). The only thing that the relatives would be afflicted with, in such cases, is separation from their martyr for a few days, as long as they themselves are alive in this world. And this temporary separation is not a big problem - especially if compared to the pleasure of Allah (swt), and to the bounties bestowed on the martyr, such as the pleasant life of the hereafter and the everlasting grace.
Surah Al – Baqarah, 2:155
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
The emphasis laid upon is basically on any kind of fear of loss of sustenance, children and suffering. The more an individual rises in his faith in God, his personal virtues and the quality of patience, more he is beset with trials through calamities to prove his personal excellence, and as he passes through his trials successfully, he is raised into higher and higher elevations of the excellence of divinity and promoted to be nearer to God. Those who do not suffer these calamities at all in this life are not much to be congratulated for it might be that these souls are not considered fit to be tried.
It was only once in the history of the creation of the earth that all the kinds of trials mentioned in the verse were enacted all together to the maximum degree conceivable, with the Holy Imam Hussein and the small band of his faithful comrades in the plain of Kerbala. This verse had its fullest realization only in the suffering and the martyrdom of Hussein and his faithful comrades and the suffering of the other Imams at different times under the Omayyids and Abbaside Caliphs.